When Pigs Fly!

Tools

If you’ve ever wanted a painting of a hippo with a shark’s fin, zipping underwater behind a clownfish and riding in a propeller-powered nest, artist Gregory Potter is your man.

The painting, the first in a series of animals-in-nests compositions that Potter is currently working on, is one of the most popular pieces in the
collection of this Franklin, Indiana, artist.

“Hippos Kill More People Than Sharks” is the result of Potter watching a nature documentary with his daughter. He only believed the fact when his daughter
confirmed it was something she had learned in school. (For the record: Death by shark amounts to one person per year, on average. Hippos take out 2,900 people annually.)

The evolution of the painting seemed to come from Potter being one-upped by his daughter. He countered her suggestion to paint a hippo in a nest with his
idea to add the fear-inspiring fin. Then came the underwater location and the hippo’s fish friends. Soon, Potter had the first in a series of quirky animal
configurations that includes penguins wearing goggles, sweaters and scarves; a pig channeling Napoleon Bonaparte; and a flamingo in a top hat riding on the
back of a zebra. Which is standing in a nest powered by a propeller.

Potter is adamant when he says he isn’t a religious person, but he believes that “something pushed him in an artistic direction” early in life. He doesn’t think he was born an artist.

click to enlarge

Courtesy Gregory Potter

Potter pauses for a photo during one of his four military tours abroad.

“I couldn’t draw when I was younger,” he confesses, simply stating that he thinks people who want to pursue the arts have to do the work.

“No one is born into it,” he says. “If that’s the path you’re going to choose, get good at it.”

While attending a small high school in Louisville, Illinois, Potter attended art classes at a nearby grade school; art simply wasn’t a part of the high
school’s curriculum. During his last year of school, Potter’s family moved to Indiana. He found out about Saturday classes being offered at Herron and,
likely due to his talent, found the beginning of his art training financed by his high school.

Then Potter looked into attending Herron or a similar art school following graduation, but he couldn’t really afford it. So he continued learning on his
own for about a year, at which point he enlisted in the Army and journeyed to the Middle East for Desert Storm, the first of four tours he would be
involved in before retiring in 2012.

While in the Army, Potter painted during his time off. He also attended art workshops and did “a lot of drawing” for soldiers who wanted tattoos. Potter
bears no ink himself, but would go with his friends to “make sure the tattoo artist did it right.” His artwork also appeared on barrack walls at the behest
of commanders.

After retiring from military service, Potter picked art back up full-time. He experimented with various techniques, benefiting from instruction in
airbrushing that was offered as part of a collision repair course at Lincoln Tech. For about a year after the program, he specialized in adding custom
airbrush designs to motorcycles and vintage cars.

Potter then shifted to working with acrylics and oils on canvas, which eventually led to the purchase of a painting party franchise (similar to events like
Wine and Canvas). The business venture didn’t end up working in Potter’s favor, due in part to substantial competition from other painting studios.
Franchise rules also prevented him from renting a dedicated space for teaching, preferring instead he remain mobile and conduct classes in restaurants.
After a few years, Potter closed up shop and got a studio in Seymour, Indiana, where he spends three or four days a week. He’s glad for the time away from
home, where he is distracted from making art by “everything that needs to get done.”

About a year ago, Potter began painting random animals in nests and notes that “they’ve kind of taken off.” He’s gotten good feedback from arts lovers at
various events, including the recent Monument Circle Art Fair, and loves that his work often makes people
burst out laughing. He enjoys the community and networking opportunities at fairs around the state, such as Greenwood’s WAMMfest and the Columbus Indiana ArtFest.

click to enlarge

Courtesy Gregory Potter

In his Seymour, Indiana, studio Potter distances himself from distractions to focus on his work.

“I’m not sure where it’s going,” he says of his otherwise flightless animals. One suspects he will have the same laid-back approach to any change in his
style as he does with various media he’s used: “If it works, great. If not, I had a good time.”

Potter paints a lot of commissions, many from people who want their beloved pets immortalized in a fun portrait. He enjoys the work, much as he does
teaching. “Doing small classes is great therapy for [me],” he says. His relaxed approach surely inspires other artists, no matter their skill level,
because he leaves art open to interpretation.

He also lets people “put their own sense of whatever” on his paintings, leading others to guess that his aloft animals are “above all the B.S.” or “leaving
without knowing where [they’re] going.” Potter just shrugs it off: “Ninety-five percent of what you see at art fairs is landscapes. I’m not looking for
anything deep or subversive – just humor.”

Potter only began exhibiting in 2014 and participated in about four shows this year. His goal is to return to the Monument Circle fair and WAMMfest next
year, as well as participate in the Broad Ripple Art Fair and Penrod.

He learned the hard way some good lessons from owning his painting franchise, including the fact that it’s very difficult to create art and simultaneously
market it.

“I’m perfectly happy passing out cards at fairs,” he says, adding that he loves interacting with attendees. While sales are important, Potter also
appreciates people taking the time to stop and look at his art. “I like the sociable setting, even if [the people] are strangers. I like being surrounded
by artists and people who enjoy art and like to laugh with me.”

Image by Gregory Potter

Flamingo on My Back highlights Potter's humorous sense of the absurd.

Take the chance to meet Potter and see his art up close at the Artisan Market at the Johnson County Museum of History (135 N.
Main St., Franklin) this Saturday (Nov. 7th) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. His work will also be on display at Hotel Tango Whiskey (702 Virginia Ave.)
in December. Or for additional info, visit his Facebook page or
his website, which features a wonderful and gentle truth about his work: “When I paint, I feel at peace with the
world.”

Downtown galleries to ring in the New Year with new art and activities -- from 3-D abstractionism to human hamster balls.

About The Author

Bio:
Chi Sherman enjoys writing essays and poetry, being a documentary nerd, and hanging out with her family and friends. Her work has appeared in NUVO, The Huffington Post, and, sporadically, on her blog.

More by Chi Sherman

This Saturday Clowes Memorial Hall will bring It Gets Better to the stage for a powerful and entertaining message of hope and support to the LGBTQ community -- and especially to its youth and their loved ones.